In the forty years since melatonin's isolation and characterization, a large and multifaceted database has accrued. This book documents the diverse research contributions of most of the major laboratories in the field of melatonin research, as presented in a special conference to mark the 40 year anniversary of the isolation and chemical identification of this hormone. In addition, many chapters by younger scientists provide an exciting glimpse of where melatonin research is heading in the future.

Inhalt
MelatoninWithout The Hype.- Serotonin N-Acetyltransferase.- Evolution of Melatonin-Producing Pinealocytes.- Melatonin Biosynthesis in Chicken Retina.- Ultraviolet Light Suppresses Melatonin Biosynthesis in Chick Pineal Gland.- Effects of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Histamine on Melatonin And Camp Production in Chick Embryo Pineal Cells.- Ceramide Inhibits L-Type Calcium Channel Currents in Rat Pinealocytes.- Expression Of Melatonin Receptors And 2-[125I]Iodomelatonin Binding Sites In The Pituitary of A Teleost Fish.- Melatonin Release From The Pineals of Two Sparids.- Photoendocrine Signal Transduction in Pineal Photoreceptors of The Trout.- Intrinsic Glutaminergic System Negatively Regulates Melatonin Synthesis in Mammalian Pineal Gland.- Synaptic Vesicle Protein Sv2B, But Not Sv2A, Is Predominantly Expressed and Associated With Microvesicles in Rat Pinealocytes.- Neuropeptide Y (Npy) and Npy Receptors in The Rat Pineal Gland.- Signal Transduction in The Rodent Pineal Organ.- Regulation of Melatonin Synthesis in the Ovine Pineal Gland.- Melatonin Modulation of Prolactin and Gonadotrophin Secretion.- The Siberian Hamster as a Model for Study of the Mammalian Photoperiodic Mechanism.- How Does the Melatonin Receptor Decode a Photoperiodic Signal in the Pars Tuberalis?.- Daily and Circadian Expression Patterns of mt1 Melatonin Receptor mRNA in the Rat Pars Tuberalis.- Molecular Pharmacology and Function Ofmelatonin Receptor Subtypes.- Mechanisms of Melatonin Action in the Pituitary and SCN.- The Roles of Melatonin in Development.- Investigation of the Human Mel 1a Melatonin Receptor Using Antireceptor Antibodies.- A Pharmacological Interaction Between Melatonin and the ?2-Adrenoceptor in Cuckoo Wrasse Melanophores.- SCN Cells Expressing mt1 Receptor mRNACoexpress AVP mRNA in Syrian and Siberian Hamsters.- Suprachiasmatic Nuclei, Intergeniculate Leaflet, and Photoperiod.- Comparison of The Pineal And Scn Rhythmicity.- Melatonin Normalizes The Reentrainment of Senescence Accelerated Mice (Sam) to A New Light-Darkcycle.- Developmental Expression of Both Melatonin Receptor Mt1 Mrna and Melatonin Binding Sites in Syrian Hamster Suprachiasmatic Nuclei.- Entrainment of Rat Circadian Rhythms by Daily Administration of Melatonin.- Melatoninas A Chronobiotic for Circadian Insomnia.- Melatoninand Cardiovascular Function.- The Effect of Melatonin on Vasopressin Release Under Stress Conditions in Pinealectomized Malerats.- Motility and Passive Avoidance Modulation by Septal Vasopressin is Dependent on the Pineal Gland.- Effects of Melatonin and its Relation to the Hypothalamic-Hypophyseal-Gonadal Axis.- Melatonin Influence Upon Ovary during Ageing.- Melatonin Effect during Aging on Reproductive Hormones of Female Rats through the Estrous Cycle.- Newinsights into Melatonin Regulation of Cancer Growth.- Melatonin Synergizes with Retinoic Acid in the Prevention and Regression of Breast Cancer.- Melatonin and 9-cis-Retinoic Acid in the Chemoprevention of NMU-induced Rat Mammary Carcinoma.- The Antiproliferative Effects of Melatonin on Experimental Pituitary and Colonic Tumors.- Cytochalasin B Influence on Megakaryocytepatch-Clamp.- Relationships Between Melatonin, Glutathione Peroxidase, Glutathione Reductase, and Catalase.- Effect of Pinealectomy on Melatonin Levels in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Birds.- Melatonin and 5-Methoxytryptamine in the Bioluminescent Dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra.- Presence and Possible Role of Melatonin in A Short-Day Flowering Plant, Chenopodium rubrum.- MLT and the Immune-hematopoietic System.- TheUse of Melatonin and Cotreatment with Autologous or Allogeneic Cells as a Model for Control of Malignant ?-cell Leukemia.- Autoradiographic Detection of 2-(125I)-iodomelatonin Binding Sites in Immune Tissue of Rats.- Is Melatonin a Photoperiodic Signal in Humans?.- Melatonin as a Marker and Phase-resetter of Circadian Rhythms in Humans.- Melatonin and Aging.- Phase of Melatonin Rhythm in Winter Depression.- Influence of Low-Frequency Magnetic Field of Different Characteristics on Serum Melatonin Concentrations in Humans.- Circadian Serum Melatonin Profiles in Patients With Very Large Goitre Before Andafter Surgery.- Advanced Immunoassays for The Direct Determination of Melatonin in Human Serum and Culture Media.